Bioremediation Properties in Exiguobacterium strain BIOL402GW_2A1
Julian Vega
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: José R. de la Torre
Microbial remediation is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution by harnessing the natural abilities of microorganisms to degrade, transform, or detoxify harmful contaminants to promote ecosystem recovery and sustainable waste management. To determine if Exiguobacterium BIOL402GW_2A1 can aid heavy metal uptake in plants, I reviewed existing literature on the genus to see if they have been studied for metal remediation or plant interactions. Looked for studies that highlight their mechanisms, such as metal solubilization or bioaccumulation, which could suggest their potential to enhance heavy metal uptake. Additionally, I read any biochemical or molecular research on these strains to identify genes or proteins associated with metal transport or resistance and compare these known metabolic pathways to similar stains of the unknown bacterium. I found a few Exiguobacterium strains that possess heavy metal resistance to varying metals such as Copper, Chromium, Arsenic, Nickel, Zinc, and Vanadium. The strains capable of biosorption are resistant to certain heavy metals such as a strain isolated from permafrost containing the merA gene, which encodes mercury reductase converting toxic mercury into a non-toxic form. These findings indicate that our strain of the same genus has the potential to contain similar pathways and discover possible uses for bioremediation.